Ok, I admit, I am a scrapbook geek, but this Baker’s Dozen class is the most fun, and we haven’t even started scrapbooking yet. I posted earlier this week about how we were filling our egg cartons and gathering photos. I am happy to report that the gathering phase is over, and we get our first page assignment tomorrow. I can’t wait. I have been really good about sticking to my “stash” for getting the product I needed. Olivia and I made one trip to Michaels yesterday and picked up a very few things that I just had no substitute for. Turns out I used everything I picked up for more than one egg slot anyway.  I am really happy with the photos I selected too. I am using photos that I had never thought of using and putting together some fun themes and topics I might not have otherwise. Then there are other photos Darci has had us collect that I have no idea how we are going to use them. That is part of the fun. I will be posting my finished pages here throughout the rest of the month as we work. I can’t wait to share.

Here is my full egg carton for now.

filledcartonPin

Three people recently asked me how I have time to do what I do – the kids, scrapbooking, scrapbooking classes, preschool activities with O, blogging, kid’s activities, work to come, book club, etc. I really am not sure. I am busy, but pleasantly so. Work is going to cause me to make some changes for sure – blogging and scrapbooking will probably drop off quite a bit as work will take up some of the time I use for those now. But, I find that the busier I am, the more productive I am. I love deadlines and they make me work harder and more productively. The kids go to the sitter a few hours a week, and I use that time to clean and soon to work. We have a pretty set schedule we follow with tasks that get done and checked off daily – laundry, kitchen clean-up, general straightening. Different days have different jobs. I have a detailed chart. When I am checking off the chart, life is flowing well. We just try not to get behind on those things. I have a husband who does quite a bit with childcare and housework and for whom I am very thankful. I rarely watch TV. Now that the few shows I do watch are over for the year, I watch even less. My kids nap well and go to bed early (except Olivia has been on a nap strike for about a week). We do TV for the kids in moderation, and I use that time to get things done. It all adds up.

I do not get everything done that I want. I don’t exercise enough, deep clean, pray and study as much as I want – there are so many things I need to be better at. Of everything that is left, I pick and choose what gets done. I am constantly reevaluating my priorities, reining myself in, refocusing on what is important when I get off track. I try to do a little here and a little there. I try not to fall in the trap of needing a big chunk of time to do things. I play with the kids for 15 minutes, clean for 15 minutes, scrapbook for 15 minutes, pay bills for 15 minutes, etc. Except for the playing with the kids, some days things only get one 15 minute segment a day and I move on. I try not to fall into the trap of perfect, but well enough is OK.

And now, I have spent too long blogging. Someone needs to be gotten up from his nap and someone else has watched too much TV. So I am off to get ready for swim lessons and throw together dinner and start the whirlwind that is the evening routine. It’s my life and it’s a fun, albeit crazy, ride.